Barrier
by AznTigress
Summary: [Sequel to Shelter] After leaving the Autobots to go solo, Midnight comes across a young boy that may give him the answers he seeks.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The sun sank slowly into the horizon as a mediocre sedan of dark blue stood atop a paved hill. A solar fan of light casts itself upon the car's hood, following its curvature to a headlight before hitting the ground. Checking to see if the coast was clear, the sedan carefully backs up and drives off into the falling night.

The following morning, the car drives along the Pacific Coast Highway going nowhere in particular. Taking in the California atmosphere, the car eventually ends up going through a suburban neighborhood where kids were dispersing after a day of school. It notices a timid-looking boy behaving oddly and decides to follow him out of curiosity. Instead of going towards a vehicle to head home like all the other kids, the boy instead sets his sights on a bicycle. Looking carefully over his shoulder, the boy unchains his bicycle and heads off in the direction of a nearby mountain. Wondering where he was going to, the sedan follows the boy into an uninhabited ravine with nothing more than a few sparse trees scattered about.

Suddenly, the car transforms into a giant robot and sneaks behind a giant boulder to observe what the boy was doing. Afternoon was merging into evening and it was getting late for a boy to be out on his own. The giant robot maneuvers his optics to watch the boy, who has since set his bicycle near a tree and sat down. The bot tries to get a closer look and accidentally snaps a tree branch, alerting the boy to turn around anxiously.

"W-who's there?" the boy called out.

The giant robot curses quietly to himself and tries to conceal his body further into the shadows. In doing so, he causes more noise with his shuffling.

"I know y-you're there," the boy shouts nervously, trying to act brave. "S-s-show yourself!"

Seeing as it was useless to hide himself anymore, the giant robot slowly emerges from the shadows. The boy's eyes widen in awe as a strange mechanical being with car elements came into the light. The robot notices that the boy was holding out a knife and narrows his optics.

"What were you planning to do?" the robot asks.

"W-what are you?" the boy exclaims in return, pointing the knife at the robot. "A-are you an alien?"

"Sort of," responds the robot. "What's your name, kid?"

"N-noah," introduces the boy, still holding the knife with both hands, albeit shakily.

"My name is Midnight," responds the robot, holding up his hands to show that he means no harm. "I'm not going to hurt you, Noah."

"W-why'd you follow me?" demands the boy. "A-are you here to kidnap me?"

"No," answers Midnight. "I was just curious why you came all the way out here by yourself."

"It's none of your b-business!" the boy shouts back. "Just go away! Leave me alone!"

"If that's what you want, then I'll leave," says Midnight nonchalantly.

The giant robot then transforms back into his sedan form, causing Noah to drop his knife and fall back in shock.

"You're a car!" he exclaims in surprise.

"Yeah, I guess I am," sighs Midnight.

He turns his engine over and prepares to leave until the boy comes running up to him.

"W-w-wait!" shouts Noah. "Don't go!"

Midnight stops in his tracks and looks over the boy. "What do you want?"

"I don't know!" cries Noah, falling to his knees. "I… I don't know what to do!"

Seeing the boy start sobbing compels Midnight to change back to his robot form. He gets down on one knee and bends over to look at the boy eyes to optics.

"Were you trying to kill yourself?" he asks the boy straightforwardly.

Through a teary mess, Noah nods shamefully.

"They keep telling me things," began the boy. "Awful things. I didn't want to listen to them anymore."

"Who?" wonders Midnight, feeling upset that anyone would bully a kid to the point of suicide.

"The voices!" cries Noah. "Mug, Deranged, 35, Dive, there's so many of them!"

Midnight was taken aback by this revelation and searches through his memory banks to find the answer to his perplexity.

"You're… schizophrenic?" the robot deduces.

"I wish they would just go away!" Noah continues his sobbing.

Midnight cups the boy with both hands and he brings him up to his face. "Where are your parents?"

"They're working," Noah manages to stop his sobbing, wiping his face with the sleeves of his shirt. "They bring me to a lot of doctors, but they can't fix me."

The boy's eyes suddenly widen. "Crap, they're going to be home soon. I gotta go!"

Midnight gently lowers the boy to the ground and watches as he scampers over to his bicycle. As Noah pedals his bicycle out of the ravine, he stops to look up at the giant robot.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" he asks with starry eyes.

Midnight was quiet for a while as he contemplated the question. After leaving the Autobots back in Nevada, he's been wandering around his old stomping grounds back in California. He wasn't sure what he wanted now that he was all alone. Memories of Zero came to mind and he quickly pushes them back before he got emotional again.

At long last, Midnight looks down at the boy and manages a smile. "Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sitting silently in the ravine, Midnight wonders what Optimus and the others were doing after he left. It relieved yet troubled him at the same time to not have to worry about fighting Decepticons. He looks down at the small supply of refined Energon he had transported over from his previous hiding place. Because he hasn't been using his Energon in significant amounts, he hadn't had a need to replenish himself since leaving the Autobots. He starts feeling a little guilty for taking Energon that Optimus and the others likely needed much more than he did.

While lost in thought, Midnight failed to notice Noah had arrived on his bicycle and was now anxiously approaching him. His blue optics catch sight of the boy and Midnight turns to look at him.

"You came back," he utters quietly.

"I usually come out here when my parents are asleep," answers Noah, laying his bicycle against a nearby tree. "The things… they bother me a lot."

Midnight tilts his head to the side and looks at the boy curiously. Sure enough, he could see the dark circles under the boy's eyes under the moonlight.

"Are they here?" he asks him.

Noah fidgets with himself as he looks around them.

"Yeah…" answers the boy hesitantly. He looks up at the giant robot. "Can… I sit by you?"

Midnight nods in response and watches as Noah takes a seat next to his leg. The boy looks so much smaller when compared against the bot. Midnight couldn't help but feel worried about accidentally stepping on the kid.

Just then, Noah starts talking about the creatures and individuals that bother him on a near daily basis, telling him things that he can't discern are true or not. Midnight simply sat there and listened as the boy talked, trying hard to comprehend what it would be like to have so many voices in one's own head. Looking down at Noah, Midnight determines that he couldn't be any older than Rafael. And yet, the boy was in a constant battle with his own mind. What kind of life is that for a child?

Memories of Zero appear in Midnight's mind as he recalls how she had to quickly adjust to life alone, without the support of a family. Heedlessly, Midnight cups his hand protectively around Noah, causing the boy to stop speaking all of a sudden. Noticing the abrupt silence, the giant robot quickly moves his hand back to his lap and averts his optics. Noah looks up at the bot with an expression of wonder.

"Sorry," Midnight apologizes embarrassingly, glancing once at the boy and then turning away.

"It's… okay…" utters Noah, fidgeting a bit. "I feel… better, when you do that."

Midnight turns his gaze down to the boy and cups his hand around him again. He could sense Noah feeling more at ease with him and the boy begins talking again. In some way, hearing the boy chatter on gave him a sense of comfort as much as his gestures were giving the boy some comfort in return. Ever since Zero brought him into being, Midnight had never been alone as his creator was a constant presence in his life until recently. He is reminded of a conversation he once had with Arcee, who told him of Cliffhanger's death and that you never really truly understand what you had until it's gone.

In all honesty, Midnight never took his time with Zero for granted, not even once. Yet at the same time, he never realized how in doing so, he became rather clingy to her. He couldn't help but feel betrayed after reading her last letter to him, knowing that she had planned to leave him. He had kept his anger hidden from the Autobots, waiting until he left them before unleashing his rage on some hapless rocks far away from the Autobots' base. Once the anger subsided, he drowned himself in grief over Zero's death. Never until then had he felt so much emotion all at once.

There was suddenly silence again and Midnight looks down to see Noah gazing up at him.

"What's wrong?" he asks the boy.

"Are you sad, too?" wonders Noah.

Midnight was taken aback by the question. "What makes you think that?"

"You look so… down," answers Noah. "I mean… you may be a giant robot, but I can tell you have feelings, too. Right?"

Midnight manages a smile and ruffles the boy's brown hair gently with a finger. "You're a smart kid."

Noah lets out a small laugh and looks back up at the bot. "So why are you sad?"

The smile fades away from Midnight's face as he thought of the recent past. "Someone I care about… went away…"

"Who?" Noah looks up with glassy hazel eyes.

"A friend…" Midnight answers simply. "Someone I think of as… family…"

The boy lays a reassuring hand on Midnight's leg. "You can cry if you want. I won't tell anyone."

The bot chuckles at the sound of that. "I don't exactly have the biology to do that."

"Well, I mean," stutters Noah, fidgeting with his hair. "You can cry without making your face wet and stuff, can't you?"

In some way, Noah's naiveté eases Midnight's mind in indicating that the boy's hallucinations hasn't completely destroyed what innocence he had remaining. Although he cannot be certain that he could do anything to cure his schizophrenia, he wishes to provide the boy with some moments of peace, however short they were. Whether his efforts caused any change, he supposes he'll never know.

"Would you like to hear about my friend?" he asks.

Noah lays his hands on Midnight's leg and plops his little head on them. Midnight manages a smirk upon seeing this and turns his optics to the distance.

"It all started when a little teenage girl didn't know how to manage a car…"

* * *

 **A/N:** I honestly was not planning to write a sequel, but ideas for this came streaming soon after I finished _Shelter_ , so there you have it. If you're wondering if this story and _Shelter_ are rushed, you are correct! I am trying to get these stories written out as quickly as I can because I'm losing sleep due to them swimming around in my mind on a constant basis. Maybe someday I'll go back and refine them, but this all I'm able to pour out of my head for the time being.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

For the next few days, Midnight and Noah continue to meet in secret. Noah would share the things he's dealt with concerning his hallucinations and Midnight would talk more about the things he and Zero did when she was still alive. Although it pained him to recall those memories, it also brought some comfort to him in trying to bring some closure to her death.

Noah still fidgeted and looked over his shoulder from time to time, but when they converse Midnight could discern a change comes over the boy. At times, Midnight would even see the boy acting like a normal child. However brief those moments are, Midnight wanted to do what he could to increase their frequency as Noah's change in demeanor would quickly subside when they don't talk.

Suddenly, one day, Noah failed to show up at the ravine. Midnight became concerned for the boy and sought him out at the school in his sedan form. He manages to catch sight of the little brown-haired child, who was behaving as he did on the day they met. He sees Noah looking about anxiously and then entering the school building when the recess bell rang out. Midnight couldn't be sure if the boy saw him and decides to return to the ravine in hopes of seeing the boy later that night.

* * *

Midnight watches as the sun set over the California horizon. He was lost in thought, thinking about the things Noah has shared with him and the boy's constant battles with his own inner demons. It was at that very moment when Midnight was hit hard with an overwhelming epiphany.

 _This…_ thought Midnight as he recalls reading Zero's last letter. _This is why Zero wanted to leave._

The wave of sorrow and anger that hit Midnight before came back in full force once again. He was turning into the overprotective yet lost puppy that Zero didn't want him to become. She wanted him to be independent and self-sufficient, yet all he had ever learned by being by her side was to lean on her. She became his purpose for existing and she didn't want that. Midnight doubted that Zero wanted to have to terminate herself to stop from becoming a pawn in the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, yet her intention to leave him still remained. How long ago did she write that letter?

 _Does it even matter?_ Midnight shakes his head. _She's gone now._

The bot could have easily taken his own life, but what would be the point? It would trivialize everything they've been through together. With him gone, there would be nothing left to show that Zero existed. Sure, her relatives still have photos of her and her family, but Midnight remained the last link to that very family.

 _I feel so lost, Zero_ , thought Midnight, looking up at the stars high above him. _What is it that you wanted for me? I don't understand._

Just then, the sound of a small bicycle pedaling through dirt and grass interrupts the silence and Midnight turns to see Noah coming up to him.

"Sorry I didn't come back," the boy apologizes profusely.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," assures Midnight. He notices that the boy's backpack seemed bulkier than usual. "What are you hauling back there?"

Noah pants a bit as he sets his backpack down on the grass. "I thought… maybe you're feeling cold out here… so I got this…"

Midnight kneels before the boy as Noah pulls out what looked to be a ratty and coarse pile of dark brown fabric.

"Uh…" responds the bot in curiosity. "What is it?"

Noah tries to unroll the pile to show more of it. "It's… a car cover!"

Midnight had to bite back a chuckle as he examines the very worn-out material. Noah excitedly spreads the car cover out fully, revealing that it has holes in some spots and the edges were rather frayed.

"I can't exactly put it on me when I go into car form," explains Midnight.

"There!" Noah points to a rip towards the middle of the cover. "You can put your head through that!"

Midnight raises an eyebrow and decides to humor the boy, picking up the car cover and sticking his head through the hole that was pointed out. The fabric was so loose that a part of it hung over his head like a hood.

"It's a cape!" exclaims Noah. "Like Superman!"

"More like a poncho," utters Midnight, feeling rather silly for putting on the car cover in a way that's unconventional.

"I also drew a picture of you in school!" adds Noah, taking something else out of his backpack and shining his flashlight onto it.

Upon analyzing the drawing, Midnight sees that Noah has scribbled a rudimentary doodle of him in his "cape" and added a rather ridiculously-sized weapon to the bot.

"What am I supposed to be holding?" he asks the boy.

"It's a scythe," Noah answers gleefully.

"You made me look like the grim reaper," smirks Midnight. "Not sure how I feel about that."

"Well, we met when I was about to die."

A solemn expression suddenly falls on Midnight's face. He gazes down at the boy whose attention was on the drawing itself.

"Noah," begins Midnight. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"People are scared of the grim reaper, but I think he's not as bad as he seems," says Noah. "It must be a very sad job, to take people away from their friends and family because it was time for them to go."

He looks up at the bot and manages a small smile. "If the grim reaper looked like you, I wouldn't be scared."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Midnight ruminated on Noah's words as he drives around the city in the middle of the day. Tried as he could to not get too attached to the boy, their inner struggles have done more to fortify a camaraderie between them that Midnight had hoped to avoid. He had already lost one dear friend; he didn't want to lose another, especially one so unfamiliar with the conflicts outside of his home.

As he exits onto a mountain road, Midnight notices a red sports car approaching him from behind. An image of a particular Decepticon suddenly flashes in his mind and a rage begins to heat up from within him. He sees an emergency stop ahead and decides to pull over to let the sports car pass to be sure. Midnight watches as the car goes by and discovers that it wasn't the Decepticon Knockout that he original thought. Chastising himself for being too quick to judge, Midnight pulls back onto the road and continues driving up the mountain.

Once he was far enough into the mountain, Midnight pulls off into a dirt road and follows it into the forest until he reaches a small pond in the midst of a wide clearing. After making sure there weren't any prying eyes about, Midnight transforms into his robot form and stretches himself out. He kneels over to the pond and gazes into it to see the glowing Energon cubes that he had moved there from the ravine. The movement of the water from the fish within did well to hide their existence from any human wandering through. And if Decepticons discovered it, the location is far away from the city that any fight that breaks out would not affect humans too much, if at all.

Standing up, Midnight looks up at the afternoon sky and takes a deep breath to cool his inner core. He then proceeds to practice the gongfu forms that he's been doing with Zero after he gained his robot body. It was awkward when he first started doing this training since he wasn't used to having a humanoid form. He could tell Zero wanted to laugh at him at times but she remained patient with him, going through the motions slowly so that Midnight could mimic them properly.

Dashing into a punch stance, Midnight admits that he stopped doing these exercises ever since Zero's death since it brought too much pain for him to recall the forms. He wonders why he suddenly feels okay with doing them again and supposes his growing friendship with Noah has given him enough strength to finally move on. He could sense his spark easing up substantially as he performs the final form and falls into a finishing stance.

 _Noah should be getting out of school soon_ , thought Midnight. _I should head back._

He suddenly hears rustling and turns quickly with guns drawn at the source. A few seconds pass before a deer comes bounding out of the trees and into the distance. Midnight lets out a sigh and changes his guns back to hands before turning around.

"Nice place you've got here."

In an instant, Midnight performs a back kick and hits something big and heavy from behind him without looking. Turning around, the bot discovers that he had sent a big white robot flying into the ground. The robot coughs once and slowly gets himself up.

"Okay…" gasps the Cybertronian. "Was not… expecting that…"

Midnight immediately aims his gun arms at the bot.

"Well, you're not immediately shooting at me," deduces the white robot, dusting himself off. "So that means you're no Decepticon."

Midnight narrows his optics. "You're an Autobot?"

"Gee, did the insignia on my chest give it away?" the white robot responds sarcastically. "Name's Wheeljack."

"Midnight," responds Midnight nonchalantly, transforming his arms back again. "Did Optimus send you?"

"It's a bit complicated," answers Wheeljack, crossing his arms. "I'm with the Autobots, but not really."

"I see," says Midnight. He then turns to walk away.

"Whoa, what's your damage?" exclaims Wheeljack. "You don't have a Decepticon or an Autobot insignia and just back-kicks anyone who says hi?"

"If you want to fight me, then just do it," utters Midnight, turning to face the Autobot. "Otherwise, just leave me alone. I'm not aligned with either the Decepticons or the Autobots."

"Then what are you?" demands Wheeljack.

Midnight falls silent and then turns back to the road.

"I don't know yet."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A couple of days passed since meeting Wheeljack and Midnight couldn't stop thinking about the question that the Autobot shot at him.

 _Then what are you?_

 _What are you?_

Midnight shakes the thought out of his mind when Noah comes to visit him in the ravine. It was the boy's first time seeing the robot in the daytime since their meetings always took place at night when his parents were fast asleep. Today, however, was the day of some gala that Noah's parents had to go and the babysitter they hired to watch him at the last minute was too busy on the phone with some boyfriend of hers.

"So you're not black?" notes Noah after having seen both Midnight's vehicle and robot forms in the light of the sun.

"Are you disappointed?" wonders Midnight.

Noah shakes his head. "Maybe the grim reaper is really blue and no one really knows."

A solemn expression comes over Midnight's face. "Do you still… want to… you know?"

"They keep telling me to," answers Noah. "I still can't sleep okay because of them."

"Have you… tried?"

Noah shakes his head again, to Midnight's relief.

"I'm scared," exclaims the boy timidly. "People say it hurts a lot."

Midnight cups his hand around Noah and the boy buries his little head into the robot's giant palm.

"You'll be here forever, right?" asks Noah, gazing up at Midnight with hopeful eyes.

The robot gently picks up Noah and supports him with both hands.

"Nothing… nothing lasts forever, Noah," begins Midnight, looking at the boy with sorrowful optics. "That includes the monsters that keep bothering you. I think… with time… if you don't pay attention to them… they'll go away…"

Noah sits pessimistically in Midnight's hands. "I can't stop listening to them…"

"That doesn't mean you have to follow them," adds the bot. "This is _your_ story… not theirs…"

Noah fidgets with himself as he gets lost in thought. "Will you still be my grim reaper at least?"

Midnight says nothing as he sets the boy back down onto the ground.

"Can I be Superman instead?" he asks him.

"You don't have a cape," says Noah.

Midnight gets the car cover that Noah got for him and puts it on. "Am I Superman now?"

Noah giggles upon seeing the bot in the ratty fabric. "No, you're still the grim reaper."

"But I don't have a scythe," argues Midnight.

"I can get one for you," counters Noah.

"I don't think they have scythes in my size," laughs Midnight.

The two of them begin laughing until the sound of multiple helicopters drowns them out. Midnight turns to see military choppers flying over them towards the city. Taking off the car cover, Midnight transforms into his car form prepares to leave.

"What's going on?" asks Noah.

"Go home, Noah," Midnight tells him. "It's not safe here."

"You're not going to get hurt, are you?" Noah worries anxiously.

"I'll be fine," assures Midnight. "I'm made of metal."

Noah is reluctant to leave his giant friend, but finally goes to his bicycle. The boy pedals quickly out of the ravine and Midnight carefully follows after him to make sure he got home safe. He assures Noah he'll be fine one more time before speeding off to see what was up with those military helicopters. He follows the helicopters straight into downtown where he saw police cars surrounding a large structure. When the helicopters land, Midnight watches as a very familiar man in a suit emerges from one of them and begins talking to one of the police officers hanging about. Midnight tries to get a little closer to overhear what's going on and the man in the suit takes notice of him.

Quietly and carefully, Midnight drives over to a more secluded area where the man in the suit meets up with him.

"You're, uh, Midnight," stutters the man unsurely. "Right?"

"I'm assuming MECH is involved if you're here, Agent Fowler," Midnight greets back while still in car mode.

"They're inside holding up the gala," explains Bill Fowler. "Want weapons in exchange for the hostages."

"This would be beyond my capabilities then," resigns Midnight.

"I wouldn't say that," notes Bill. "We don't know how much firepower they've got. We could use a shield in case the exchange goes south."

"Why not call Optimus and the others?" wonders Midnight.

"They've got their own thing going on, so they can't support us," explains Bill. "Besides, like you said, this is beyond their capabilities. This is a human issue, not a Decepticon one."

"Just let me know where and when you want me," Midnight agrees to help. "I think there are some people in there who are of interest to me."

"Oh?" exclaims Bill. "Who?"

Midnight says nothing else and Bill decides to leave it at that. A transport truck hauling some rather heavy weaponry arrives and rolls into the midst of the road in front of the building. As promised, the door to the structure opens and frightened hostages emerge from within. Midnight recognizes a couple of the hostages as Noah's parents, having seen photos that the boy showed him. He breathes a sigh of relief knowing they were unharmed.

After the hostages all came out, masked soldiers follow after them and approach the truck to begin unloading it. Bill begins worrying that the exchange was going too smoothly, especially since they're dealing with MECH of all people.

"Silas is no longer with them, is he?" inquires Midnight.

"He wiped out their engineering team," Bill answers grimly, unaware of the bot's history with MECH. "Joined up with the Decepticons last we heard. These guys are obviously leftovers."

"If they're leaderless now, what's their angle?" Midnight continues his investigation.

"That's what we're trying to find out," responds Bill. "I doubt Silas has no second-in-command, but with as big an ego as the guy has, the possibility he left no one else in charge after his disappearance isn't out of the question."

Without warning, the now fully armed MECH soldiers began using the weapons they acquired on the police and military force that surrounded them. Midnight quickly transforms into his robot form and shields Bill from the incoming ammunitions with his body. The helicopters were quickly taken out and the remaining police and soldiers run for cover. Once the gunfire let up, the MECH soldiers flee with their new artillery while Bill and the others recover from the unexpected onslaught.

"Sweet Lady Liberty!" exclaims the US agent as Midnight backs up. He turns to the robot. "Thanks for the literal cover."

"Get to the hostages," responds Midnight, getting to his feet. "I'll take care of MECH."

"You may be a giant robot, but those guys have the weapons necessary to turn you into scrap metal," warns Bill.

"Don't have a choice now, do we?" counters Midnight.

Before Bill could say anything else, Midnight changes into his car form and give chase after MECH. He follows them towards the desert and manages to run the weapons truck they stole off the road. The truck continues into the desert wilds and Midnight goes off-road. As soon as they turn into a canyon, Midnight switches into his robot form and begins gunning them down to stop them. The MECH soldiers respond in turn, firing their recently acquired grenade launchers at him. Midnight takes cover behind a rock wall and fires back. He waits for them to reload and dashes across the canyon, shooting all the while before taking cover behind another rock wall. The other vehicles that MECH had manage to catch the robot off-guard and Midnight is blasted from behind with bazooka ammo.

Groaning, Midnight dodge rolls out of the way of another artillery strike and shoots back, destroying one military jeep. He runs over to another rock wall to quickly shield himself from another wave of ammunition before firing back. Another bazooka shot hits him in the left arm, causing Energon to leak out. Grimacing from the wound, Midnight dashes over to another rock wall and eventually finds himself cornered into dead end. A MECH jeep manages to find him and unleashes a short wave of gunfire before Midnight takes it out of commission with a well-aimed Energon blast.

Midnight falls to one knee and coughs up some Energon as his wounds begin to take their toll on him. He couldn't rest just yet as there was still one more MECH truck wandering around and it would surely find its way to him soon. He pushes himself to get out of the nook he was in and emerges out into an open clearing where he ran right into the last MECH truck. Cursing to himself, Midnight stares down the truck as the MECH soldiers aim its bazooka right at him.

"I guess… this is it…" he sighs with resignation. "Sorry I couldn't… live up to your expectations… Zero…"

Suddenly, a blast of blue light flies past him and crashes right into the truck, blowing it to smithereens. Midnight shields his optics from the ensuing dust cloud as it blew into him. He suddenly hears a steady humming from behind him and turns around to see a white ship hovering behind him. He watches as it landed and out came a snarky Wheeljack.

"Sorry, were you trying to be a one-bot army?" the Autobot's words dripped with sarcasm. "You looked like you were having so much fun, I thought you didn't mind sharing."

Midnight narrows his optics at Wheeljack as he clutches his left arm.

"You look like you could use a ride," Wheeljack offers with an outstretched arm. "Unless you think you can grind your gears back to your hideout."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The trip to the mountains was quiet as Wheeljack flies the Jackhammer to Midnight's secret spot where he stored his Energon cubes. Midnight made no effort to start up small talk with the Autobot, preferring to stare out the window instead.

Upon reaching the clearing with the pond, Wheeljack carefully lands the Jackhammer and silently helps Midnight out of the starship to set him down next to a large boulder. He then goes back into his ship and takes out a med kit to address Midnight's wounds.

"Why are you helping me?" Midnight finally breaks the silence.

"Honestly?" begins Wheeljack. "You're kind of stupid."

Midnight narrows his optics in response.

"Long answer," continues the Autobot as he works. "You remind me of me when I started out soloing. I made mistakes along the way. Some small ones…" He closes up one of Midnight's bigger wounds, causing the bot to hiss in pain. "… and some big ones."

"Why aren't you with Optimus and the others?" he wonders curiously.

"Optimus may be leader of the Autobots, but not all Autobots agree with the way he runs things," answers Wheeljack. "I help them out from time to time because Bulkhead used to be part of the Wreckers with me. But for the most part, I'd rather be on my own."

Wheeljack finishes up and puts his med kit back together.

"Did what I could to stop your Energon leakage, but can't do anything about your scars," he clarifies to Midnight. "Gonna have to see Ratchet about that."

Midnight tries to get to his feet, but falls back down from the pain of his injuries.

"You're not going anywhere with those wounds," affirms Wheeljack. "Just sit tight and refuel yourself with your Energon."

"I'm used to tearing through Decepticons, not human terrorists," Midnight utters disdainfully, feeling embarrassed with how he handled MECH.

"I admit, they're a little harder to hit if you're not careful," chuckles Wheeljack as he gets to his feet.

The Autobot turns to walk back to his ship with his med kit when he hears Midnight call out to him.

"Thanks."

Wheeljack simply waves his hand in response and begins walking back to his ship.

"Stop being stupid and we'll call it even."

* * *

A whole day passed before Midnight recovers enough to transform and drive back to the ravine. The sun was setting by the time he reached the ravine and sets himself down to rest. Looking down at himself, he could see battle scars scattered all over his body. Not wanting to worry Noah, he grabs the car cover and pulls it over himself in an effort to hide most of them from the boy's view.

As the stars came out with the deepening of night, Midnight looks towards the road where he expects to see a familiar brown-haired boy pedaling towards him. Soon enough, Noah appears on his bicycle and he could see the boy pedal harder upon seeing him. He didn't bother to take the time to properly get off his bicycle when he got close, choosing instead to stumble out of the flimsy mode of transportation to hug Midnight's leg.

"I thought you… you…" Noah sobs into the metallic limb.

"Noah, it's okay," Midnight tries to assure the boy. "I'm fine."

"M... my parents… the bad guys tried to hurt them," chokes Noah.

"I stopped the bad guys," Midnight pats the boy's head. "They won't hurt anyone anymore."

Noah looks up at the bot with glistening eyes. "Really?"

Midnight nods in affirmation.

"They told me that the bad guys were going to get my parents," the boy rambles on. "They said the bad guys would get my parents and they would get you, too, and I'll never see any of you ever again."

"Well, they're wrong," declares Midnight confidently. "So you don't have to listen to them anymore."

"They're so loud, though," counters Noah.

"You can try listening to music instead," suggests Midnight. "It probably sounds better than them."

Noah lets out a small laugh. "You really are Superman."

* * *

 **A/N:** I actually never intended Wheeljack to be part of this story, but somehow he snuck his way into the narrative.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Midnight was driving around the city aimlessly until he spots a familiar male human in a suit coming out of a donut shop with a box of donuts. He slowly drives by the human to get his attention and then rolls around a corner into a secluded alley. There he parks himself until the human ambulates unsuspectingly into the alley.

"You drew quite the attention the other night," Bill begins speaking with the dark blue car. "You have no idea what I had to do to explain what happened to my superiors."

"At least no one took pictures of me," notes Midnight.

"Oh, you bet your horseshoes there were pictures," scoffs Bill in annoyance. "Rafael worked tirelessly to scrub your mug off the Internet. Optimus wasn't exactly thrilled either."

"I did what I had to do," Midnight responds simply.

"Well, for that, the hostages all came out unscathed at least," admits Bill. "Our boys in blue and green, not so much."

"My condolences," Midnight offers his sympathies.

"It's not like you knew MECH was going to open fire on us like that," sighs Bill. "At least they're all gone for good. No more Silas, no more MECH."

"What was their deal anyways?" wonders Midnight.

"New world order, stuff like that," Bill rambles. "Without a leader, MECH just dissolved into recklessness."

The agent looks over at Midnight and scratches the back of his head.

"I heard about what happened with Zero…" he begins.

Bill is suddenly interrupted by his cell phone ringing. Shifting the donut box to left arm, Bill grabs his phone and accepts the call. The solemn atmosphere suddenly turns to high alert as Bill's eyes open wide in shock.

"You're kidding me!" he exclaims. He flips off his phone and turns to Midnight. "Looks like we didn't finish them off after all."

"MECH?" deduces Midnight.

"There's one of them left and he's threatening to blow up an elementary school to prove a point," Bill reports grimly.

Midnight didn't hear anything else as he speeds off in the direction of Noah's school. Memories of the time he spent with the boy from the day they met until recently flash through his mind while he drifts corners and burn rubber through the streets. He even went as far as change into his robot form to leap over an old lady crossing the street only to land on the other side back in car form.

Soon enough, Midnight sees the school up ahead and hopes against all hope that the MECH survivor hasn't chosen that school for his political commentary. As he gets closer to the school, he could make out the shape of an adult human standing in front of the school with arms outstretched to the sides.

He tries to push his engines to the max to get to the man in time but as soon as he got within meters of the school, an explosion erupts from within the building. The force of the blast was so great that it sent Midnight reeling back into the houses across the street and knocking him out.

* * *

Midnight came to sometime later in a forest clearing. Looking down at himself, he discovers he's still in car form and quickly changes into robot form when Bill approaches him.

"Where am I?" asks the bot.

"You were pretty thrashed by the blast," begins Bill. "We had to tow you secretly out of the area to make sure no one saw you."

"What happened… to the MECH soldier?" Midnight inquires hesitantly.

A somber expression overtakes Bill. "We tried to evacuate all the kids, but…"

Midnight tries to keep himself composed, but it was hard to hide the anguish in his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hopes Noah made it out safely.

"There…" Bill rubs the back of his head uncomfortably. "There will be a… service… for those that didn't make it…"

"I understand…" Midnight replies with melancholy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The funeral service took place roughly a week later. Midnight drives up his car form close to the dispirited crowd of black in an effort to scan for Noah's parents. Selfishly, he hopes to not be able to find the two of them as it would affirm Noah's death. His spark quickly sinks upon finding the sobbing faces of Noah's parents. His mother was beside herself, shaking uncontrollably and burying her face into the shoulder of her husband. It was more than Midnight could bear, turning himself around to leave the area as quickly as he could. He cared little that his departure did not go unnoticed by a face in the crowd.

* * *

Midnight arrives in the midst of the ravine without a word as the sun burned brightly overhead. He changes into his robot form and wanders around the area aimlessly as the reality of everything began to sink in slowly. The more it set in, the more heavy he felt until he couldn't stand it anymore and he clenches his fists in frustration.

"NOAH!"

Midnight shouts angrily into the sky, not worrying a bit about anyone overhearing him. The sorrow and anger he felt after Zero died came back with a vengeance, but it was further compounded by the fact that he was there at the time of Noah's demise. He punches the ground with everything he had in him, causing the area to shudder from the force of his anguish. He pants heavily to cool down his overheating core, grasping the grass beneath his hands as he did.

Suddenly, he hears rustling and instinctively turns with his arm gun drawn. He prepares to shoot at the source, but stops shortly upon seeing the form of Noah's mother in her solemn attire. She didn't seem afraid of him at all, even after he changes his arm gun back to his regular arm. In fact, she was unsettlingly calm in his presence.

"Are you… Midnight?" she asks sweetly.

Midnight quickly composes himself and gently gets down on one knee before the woman. She holds out one arm and Midnight hesitantly touches it with a finger.

"You _are_ real," affirms Noah's mother. "My husband thought you were just another one of Noah's hallucinations, but the way he talked about you was different."

Midnight was without words, unsure of how to respond to the woman who had suddenly lost her whole world.

"I'm… sorry," he apologizes, pulling his hand away and laying it on the ground. "I… couldn't save him."

Noah's mother slowly approaches him and lays her hand on Midnight's knee.

"You did save him," she looks up at the bot with tearful eyes. "More than you think."

A perplexed expression overtakes Midnight's face. "I… I don't understand."

"When he suddenly started talking about a Midnight and a Zero, he changed," elaborates Noah's mother. "For the first time, Noah had a genuine smile. He wasn't talking about his hallucinations as much as he did you and your friend. Even his doctors couldn't understand what was going on. He still fidgeted and looked over his shoulder, but he was changing. Slowly and surely, he was changing. And I have you to thank for it."

Midnight drops his optics downward to turn his gaze to the ground.

"My friend Zero, she's… with Noah now," he utters softly.

Noah's mother pats Midnight's knee assuredly.

"As long as we're alive, they're alive as well," attests the woman. "A part of them will always be with us. Always…"

She pulls her hand away, causing Midnight to look back up to her.

"Thank you," Noah's mom wipes tears from her eyes. "Thank you for allowing Noah to know what it's like to be a normal little boy. Even if it was all too short."

Midnight gets up to his feet as he watches the woman walk out of the ravine. He lets out a sigh once she was out of sight and turns around to look at the sky. Just then, a giant beam of light pierces the heavens and crashes down onto the earth. The beam of light seemed to be coming from the direction of Nevada, where the Autobot base was.

Glancing down at the ground, Midnight could see the car cover that Noah had brought him, all crumpled up into a pile. With a new sense of determination, he grabs the car cover and puts it on.

"Looks like my next destination is Cybertron," he declares.

A battle mask covers up Midnight's lower face and he turns to begin his new journey to the world of his body's origins.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Ah, sorry for yet another rushed story! I'm such a depressing writer.

That's it for the adventures of Zero and Midnight (for now). If there is ever going to be a sequel to this story, it'll be taking place in Cybertron for sure. And I'll definitely be including the rest of Team Prime along with some other Autobots and Decepticons for that story. But who knows if that story will come with how _Transformers Prime_ ended.


End file.
